A Hole That Can't Be Healed
by SecretScreaming
Summary: When death and destruction work hand in hand, can the two superheros escape safely or will Death claim one of them forever? One-shot. Im sorry. Warning: Character Death


Marinette heard the commotion long before she saw the smoke begin to rise through the air several streets over and, with Tikki's help, was suited up for another battle as her alternate super-ego, Ladybug, as she arrived on scene. It looked as if a hole-puncher had gone berserk in the streets of Paris, chunks gouged out of walls and foliage with their respective small disks of debris laying scattered across the ground haphazardly.

"What a mess..." Ladybug thought to herself as her eyes flitted across the destruction, distracted only momentarily by sudden appearance of the leather-clad black form of her partner in justice, Chat Noir, as he descended upon the chaotic scene. His normally soft emerald eyes were darkened with concerned fear and fury as he explained that buildings were not the only victims of the newest Akumas power; Countless bodies lined the sidewalks and floated aimlessly through the Seine, all of which were riddled with holes and missing body parts. They had to stop the Akuma before it destroyed the entire population of Paris, or worse.

Ladybug's eyes widened as she took in all Chat's information and she scanned the roadway again, this time seeing the carnage she had initially blocked out of her mind. Corpses, dozens of them, lay strewn about the streets, their last fearful expressions etched deep across their ice cold faces, most of them reaching out toward what she assumed were their corresponding flesh disks. She could feel the egg and cheese croissant she'd had for breakfast trying to make its way up the back of her throat and, with a gulp, she prayed that she'd be able to keep her stomach contents where they belonged, at least until the fight was over. With her lips tightly pressed shut, Ladybug grabbed Chat Noir by the wrist and, with a quick flick of her yo-yo, pulled them both rapidly through the skies until they sat safely atop one of the nearby buildings. Using the back of her hand to block the sun from her eyes, Ladybug gazed out over the chaotic turmoil of the town until she finally saw the bright flashes of power that had undoubtedly caused all the trouble in town coming from a few blocks to her left. Words were unnecessary as her and Chat locked eyes, both understanding the severity of the situation and where they were headed to try and stop the town's impending demise, but also wistful, both hoping for the continued safety of the other hero as they launched themselves into action.

Chat made his appearance first, striking the assailant without warning as they attempted to hole-punch yet another victim, a young girl this time. Fear coated her face as she narrowly escaped deaths grip and, with a thankful glance shot at Chat, she ran quickly into the nearest alley where Ladybug stood waiting to zip the poor girl up to the safety of the rooftops. The girl rushed up to Ladybug, blubbering through her tears about how scared she had been, reassured only by the spotted superhero's arm wrapping gently around her shoulder and promising that no harm would come to her as she safely nestled against Ladybug's left side. Moments before launch, a blinding flash of light from the entrance of the alley caught Ladybug off guard and, with a quick jump to increase her speed, she repelled them up the side of the alley, almost flying too far past the rooftop's edge in her panicked leap. Once securely on the roof, she went to release the young girl but froze in disbelief when she saw the frozen deaths mask of muted horror permanently etched onto the girls face. A glancing shot had scraped clean through the left side of the girls chest, clean cut organs twitching and glistening grotesquely in the dim Parisian sunlight, arms hanging limply by her side. As she set the young girl's rapidly cooling body down, folding the girls arms across her missing chest, she caught sight of her reflection in the growing pool of crimson blood and this time it seemed the croissant inside Ladybug's stomach no longer had anything holding it back. Running to the building's edge, she managed to avoid spraying her vomit onto the girl's missing torso chuck which lay back in the alley below and, with a quick wipe of her mouth, she thought over the brief encounter that had lead to the tragedy. The hole couldn't cut through multiple objects at once, instead seeming to just affect the first target struck by the Akuma's power, tearing a clean hole straight through the affected area. It was then that Ladybug remembered Chat Noir was currently facing off against the Akuma alone, fear gnawing at her already upset insides as she launched herself off the roof and back into battle.

The Akuma seemed to be a member of the Mayor's personnel, an older man who was sick and tired of being treated like his life was of no purpose by the Bourgeois family and succumbed to the influential call of Hawkmoth's power where they were given the temporary ability to punch holes through more than just the paper documents they dealt with on a daily basis. A large metal contraption on its right arm seemed to be what the Akuma was using to punch holes in practically every surface it could aim for, not bothering to look at the damage it was causing, including the now missing tip of Chat Noir's tail, as it flailed about in selfish rage. Chat was doing the best he could to distract the Akuma but his fatigue was clearly visible on his face until Ladybug swung in from behind and hit the Akuma hard enough for it to slam into the already damaged wall of a nearby building. Chat threw her a dazzling smile as the building collapsed in on the Akuma.

"To be purrfectly honest, I thought you'd run off for a minute there." Chat grinned as Ladybug indignantly turned to face him.

"Well, you should have known that a true hero wouldn't run off without even trying to fight, pretty kitty." She shot back, a smirk fighting the corner of her mouth. The rubble behind her shifted slightly as it settled and she only paused for a moment to glance at it before Chat had drawn her attention again.

"Hey, uh, what happened to the girl from the alley? I haven't seen her watching from the roof where you left her..." His eyes widened as Ladybug's face paled at the mention of the girl and grew dark as he came to understand the implications of her silence. His face clouded with remorse followed by anger as he stared into the pile of rubble, in time to notice the glint of the Akuma's arm piece as it leveled aim at Ladybug's back. Alarm bells rang inside Chats head as his body moved faster than his thoughts and he leapt behind Ladybug just as the shot was fired. The reverberations of the shot collapsed the remainder of the building, fully trapping the Akuma beneath a layer of rubble. Ladybug turned at the sound and Chat grabbed her shoulders as she faced him with a worried look.

"Are you ok, Ladybug? You aren't hurt anywhere?" He asked, sounding a little strained. She nodded, confusion still written on her face. "Well that's good to hear otherwise this would be quite unfortunate." She opened her mouth to respond but Chat let out a wet cough, spraying spittle onto her face and causing her to close her eyes in mild disgust.

"Ew!" Ladybug started as she wiped at her face with an open hand, "Chat Noir, you're supposed to say it not spray... it..." Her hands shook as she looked at the crimson speckled across her skin and she almost dropped to the ground when she looked up at Chat. Blood frothed at the corners of his mouth due to the giant gaping hole situated around his solar plexus and his costume was slowly disappearing, replacing itself with his normal pre-transformation clothes. His knees buckled and Ladybug caught him, letting him gently sink to the ground as she struggled to comprehend what had happened. She could see him struggling to breathe and watched in intense discomfort as his lungs flopped uselessly about with a series of sickening wet smacks, plainly visible through the hole in his chest. His scared green eyes met her terrified blue ones as his transformation fully wore off, leaving her to stare into the eyes of the boy she loved, the one she never imagined to have been so close to her on a near daily basis.

"Adrien...?!" She breathed fearfully, terrified of the idea that the boy who had always hit on her and fought crime by her side had also been the sweet loving boy from her class who only wanted to live a normal life with the other students. "Lucky Charm! Please..!" She pleaded, hoping to be able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage but, to her total dismay, the only thing that she was gifted was a sturdy coil of rope with what seemed to be a sickle attached to one end. She could do nothing for him but watch as the life fade from his eyes, watch those soft green eyes that reminded her of an endless field cloud over and gaze far beyond the realm of mortals, that was the final breaking moment for her. She threw back her head and let out a searingly painful scream as her entire world has collapsed in on itself. Her pretty kitty, her partner in justice, the love of her life, her good friend... Thoughts jumbled around in her head as she screamed until finally no sounds could escape her body, but the aching cry of her heart wouldn't allow for her to stop. Hoarse noises continued to rip from her throat as she sobbed deeply, and she tore her eyes away from Adrien's unmoving form to dart about, praying for help but aware that there was none to be found. However, when she noticed the shifting rubble of the collapsed building and saw the Akuma's face come into view, her mind blanked and the noises stopped.

Ladybug staggered to her feet, unceremoniously dropping Adrien from her lap onto the ground, but she was unable to notice such things at the moment, her eyes locked onto the Akuma and her mind burning with unbridled hatred and revenge as she made her way towards the pile, her Lucky Charm dragging across the ground behind her. When she stood over the pile of rubble, she gazed into the eyes of the Akuma, accepting that it was trapped and helpless in its current situation, but the Akuma would only see the stormy, loathing expression of deep seated hatred in Ladybug's eyes for a fraction of a moment before the rope whipped around and buried the sickle blade into its temple. A frantic black butterfly tried to fly off from the newly killed body as fast as possible but it too was soon sliced apart by the sickle's edge, each half fluttering to the ground before dissolving into a dark dust. She stared down at the body for a long time, watching the blood trickle out of its head wound until the ground was stained a dull red.

She found herself still watching when the bleeding finally slowed and she turned back to face the nightmare she still lived in, walking shakily up to Adrien's still crumpled body before sinking to her knees at his side. It was by his side that she remained until long after the police had arrived to assess the damages, allowing no one to get close to the young blonde's body as she sat vigil over him, praying for movement she knew would never come and a voice that would haunt her forever. No longer caring for appearances, she allowed her transformation to wear off as she sat near him, startling a few of the officers, although they maintained the ring of privacy around the two.


End file.
